Xbox One to Launch Without Keyboard and Mouse Support

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Xbox One to Launch Without Keyboard and Mouse Support

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Microsoft’s next-gen console; due out on 22nd of November, won’t have keyboard and mouse support at launch. Though that doesn’t mean it’s always going to be that way.

Speaking with Newegg, Director of Programming for Xbox Live, Larry Hryb (aka ‘Major Nelson’) confirmed that keyboard and mouse support for Xbox One will be added in a post-release future update. No specific dates were mentioned as for when to expect the addition of keyboard and mouse support.

Moreover, Hryb said that Microsoft will help developers with support for integrating said peripherals if they need assistance:

“We’ll certainly have this great SDK for developers to do what they like. If that’s something they’re interested in doing, we’ll certainly help them do that. Certainly it’s possible, but we don’t have anything to announce at this time.”

In a more cautious, diplomatic tone, Hryb added that support may not always be “ideal”. To further elaborate on why keyboard and mouse support for Xbox One wasn’t a prime concern for Microsoft, Major Nelson had the following to say:

“We kind of have this concept of when you’re playing a PC game you’re leaning forward. With an Xbox game, sometimes you lean back. You’re just kinda having fun. And I don’t want to incite the religious debate that will ensue, because I’m very aware. We want to provide a gaming experience that people enjoy, certainly with Windows–that’s our other large gaming platform at Microsoft.

So there’s something there, but right now we’re really focused on really the console space.”

While it certainly isn’t a crucial feature for consoles, having keyboard and mouse support can come in handy for different purposes. Anyway, for the time being, gamers will have to stay contented with the controller for some time. I hope that Microsoft will give it more attention to bring the feature sooner on Xbox One.